Serbian Gold Medal

[LilyB]

[LilyB]

Sorry not used to the site yet, I wondered if anybody could tell me a bit more about this medal and ribbon the only foreign medal amongst my grandfathers WW1 medals he served in Serbia and other Balkan countries, thank you

[ForeignGong]

Can we have a name and service details please.

[LilyB]

8 minutes ago, ForeignGong said:

Can we have a name and service details please.

Thank you his name was

Thomas Bartlett Lance Corporal with the East Surrey’s is that ok?

[ForeignGong]

Hi

This is the London Gazette for the award

Page 10250 | Supplement 30321, 2 October 1917 | London Gazette | The Gazette

Top LH corner

The citations or recommendations for foreign awards are very hard to find.

The medal should have a plain red ribbon. The war diary for the East Surrey Regiment may have him mentioned or the local newspaper.

Peter

Edited 1 February , 2022 by ForeignGong

[LilyB]

Thank you Peter that’s such a help.

[Gardenerbill]

Unfortunately the war diaries for the battalions that served on the Salonika front have not been digitised, to read the 2nd East Surrey's war diary would require a trip to the National Archives at Kew. The 2nd East Surreys are mentioned 3 times in 'The Official History of the Great War Military Operations Macedonia Volume II' by Captain Cyril Falls.

P75 when General Guillaumat inspected the Battalion whilst reviewing the front line positions in January 1918.

P175 During the 2nd Battle of Doiran when the 2nd East Surreys supported the Greek Crete Division attack on the Blaga Planina north of Lake Doiran 18th September 1918.

P227 The Capture of the Signal Allemande During the pursuit of the retreating Bulgarian's 26th September 1918.

The 2nd East Surrreys were part of 85th Brigade 28th Division, to get an overview of what these units did during the campaign I would recommend getting a copy of:

'Under the Devil's Eye - Britain's Forgotten Army at Salonika' Alan Wakefield & Simon Moody.

Referring back to the medal a number of medals would have been given to the British Army by the Serbian Government to distributed to British soldiers who had distinguished themselves during the campaign, the war diary is the most likely place to find out why Lance Corporal Bartlett received the medal. 

[charlie962]

52 minutes ago, Gardenerbill said:

Unfortunately the war diaries for the battalions that served on the Salonika front have not been digitised, to read the 2nd East Surrey's war diary would require a trip to the National Archives at Kew. The 2nd East Surreys are mentioned 3 times in 'The Official History of the Great War Military Operations Macedonia Volume II' by Captain Cyril Fall

But Surrey Regimental Association have digitised a transcript that is available here

Charlie

Edit- May 1917 looks a busy time for the Battalion ?

Edited 1 February , 2022 by charlie962

[Gardenerbill]

I wasn't aware of that, thanks for posting Charlie

[charlie962]

21 minutes ago, Gardenerbill said:

wasn't aware

The Surrey Regimental Assoc have transcriptions of all East and West Surrey Bns. Very helpful.

You may also find on AMOT Ogilby Muster certain war diaries are uploaded for units in Salonika. It is very hit or miss. I know there are some for Artillery batteries. Early days.

Charlie

 

[charlie962]

11 hours ago, ForeignGong said:

This is the London Gazette for the award

Noticeable that he is the only Line Regiment man , amongst a host of ASC. Does this tell us anything?

[LilyB]

Thank you GardenerBill for your expert information I will get the book you recommended and also thanks to Charlie962 for your helpful information.

My grandfather kept a war diary of his time in the Balkans it makes fascinating reading, he didn’t make old bones he died in 1923  when my Dad was 6 .

[charlie962]

18 minutes ago, LilyB said:

My grandfather kept a war diary of his time in the Balkans it makes fascinating reading

That would be interesting to read no doubt. I see he has a surviving service record and I post a little extract showing that he went out as a Batman. Can you tell us to which officer? By 14/7/17 he was transferred to the Labour Corps so presumably already in bad health?

courtesy FindmyPast/Nat Archives

[charlie962]

His service in Salonika was even briefer He was back in UK 28/5/16. Bizarrely he was reported a deserter 1/11/15 but this was subsequently cancelled and you can see he went abroad 2 weeks later. In fact I think the record keepers were confused- he had gone to hospital in Oct 1915.

 

His award must have been tied up with the Officer to whom he was batman in that short period? Any chance of a name, please?

Charlie

Edited 1 February , 2022 by charlie962

[charlie962]

a third  extract.

[charlie962]

A 4th extract which answers one of my previous questions but raises others. @Gardenerbill w-what do you make of this ?

[charlie962]

Capt A W Baker is Arthur Warden Baker  OBE MC (1893-1958).

7th Royal Scots Fusiliers. Wounded 1915 France.

MC London Gazette for 1/1/17 ie no Citation so could be for Serbian work or could be for 1915 with RSF where he was wounded and MiD ?

Military Control Officer, Rome 1918 and HM Consul Sicily  early 50s.

Was there anything 'secret squirrel' in all this?

Edited 1 February , 2022 by charlie962

[LilyB]

Wow this is extraordinary thank you - wish my Dad was still around to be able to read all this 

thank you so much

I will dig out the diary - yes I remember now that he was a batman the first entry in the diary was him missing the boat train to Paris ! 

[charlie962]

31 minutes ago, LilyB said:

the first entry in the diary was him missing the boat train to Paris

And for that they reported him as a deserter. There is a page in his service file covering this.

Have you seen his Service File already? Quite lengthy. He was an old soldier from 1903 enlistment, transferred to the Army Reserve a few years later then immediately mobilised at the start of WW1.

31 minutes ago, LilyB said:

I will dig out the diary

Do, please. Individual accounts like his are so interesting and helpful.

Charlie

Service Record etc here on FindmyPast        and     here on Ancestry.

FindmyPast is probably a bit clearer and they have his 1914 Hospital Admission entry for bulletwound, ankle. (I've told them they have Date of birth wrong!)

Ancestry have the medal Rolls and the Pension card link but you will get most of this off the Service Record.

Edited 1 February , 2022 by charlie962

[Gardenerbill]

1 hour ago, charlie962 said:

That would be interesting to read no doubt. I see he has a surviving service record and I post a little extract showing that he went out as a Batman. Can you tell us to which officer? By 14/7/17 he was transferred to the Labour Corps so presumably already in bad health?

courtesy FindmyPast/Nat Archives

The second entry "Proceeded from Brindisi to Corfu posted to British Mission Royal Serbian Army" is interesting. The Serbian Army had been defeated in September 1915 but a large number of it's soldiers escaped through Albania and were moved to Corfu for rest and refitting. They would return to the Salonika front the following year and played a significant role in the defeat of the Bulgarians in September 1918.

 

Edited 1 February , 2022 by Gardenerbill

[charlie962]

2 minutes ago, Gardenerbill said:

Is the 7th East Surrey connection a red herring?

(you mean 2nd)     I suspect so for this period but as an old soldier he was previously 2nd Bn ES and returned to ES Depot books back in UK.

He was batman to Warden Baker throughout this little excursion. Do you have anything on the latter?

[Gardenerbill]

I am somewhat confused, according to LilyB (OP) we should be looking for Thomas Bartlett, but your 3rd extract Charlie has Bartlett M and 4th Bartlett F?

[charlie962]

2 minutes ago, Gardenerbill said:

I am somewhat confused, according to LilyB (OP) we should be looking for Thomas Bartlett, but your 3rd extract Charlie has Bartlett M and 4th Bartlett F?

All in the same service record and all ties together so definately 8069 Thomas Bartlett.

[LilyB]

Have found the diary starts 15 Nov 1915 ends 28 Feb 1916

here are a few images sorry they are sideways !
Seems his officer was Lt E MacFarren 

 

 

[Gardenerbill]

Got 7th and 2nd confused, apologies. Interestingly according to the LLT 7th RSF amalgamated with 6th RSF 13th May 1916, just before the letter (4th extract).